Does anyone walk around in circles when they are nervous?

Post Reply New Topic

I do I can't keep still when I am nervous! People tell to just keep still. I can't! movement helps me keep calm. If I keep still I get even more nervous!

I do that. It's because it's unbearable to sit still when you're anxious/nervous. You want to do something to alleviate the anxiety and nervousness.

You don't realize, at that point, that sitting down and relaxing would probably help in getting rid of the anxiety/nervousness. Because you are "hyper" when you are nervous/anxious.

not in circles but i do pace back and forth when im overwhelmed or nervous

Mainly, lines, but if the situation calls for it other shapes

Pacing back and forth is one of my stims. I've learned to put it to good use by walking a mile or two every night.

Oh, yes, I've done this a lot all my life. Always anti-clockwise circles, and on tip-toe if I'm feeling particularly wound up. It's only since coming on the forum that I ever let anyone know I do it (maybe my mum knows, I don't remember when I was really little). And yes, it can be a time when strange thoughts come into my head too. Try to think of it as the strange thoughts finding their way out, so that you don't have to have them stuck in your head forever - I find that if I say them out loud once or twice, and tell myself that I don't want them any more, they quite often do go away.

Sometimes it can help to find something else you can do that works to keep you calm. It is very different for every person, but I find clenching and unclenching my fingers and toes works quite well if I'm in a place where I can't pace without disturbing people. You only need something to help manage the nerves for a little while sometimes - you can maybe pace later on when you have some time on your own.

If pacing gives you comfort, and it's doing no-one any harm, then you should try not to worry about it too much - but as Kraftie says, trying to reduce how nervous you are is a much better solution in the long run.

When really worked up I alternate between sitting and rocking to walking in circles. I usually talk to myself quite a bit while walking in circles, alone in my room.

Yep, I'm a pacer. When I get nervous about something I tend to not be able to keep still, and pace from room to room.

I definitely pace around when I'm anxious or nervous. For this reason I'm grateful my college campus has a ton of walking paths around it.

I flap my hands a lot when I'm nervous, but I also flap my hands when I'm happy.

I walk around in circles when I am on the phone, thinking about making a call, or thinking about a call I just made.

_________________
31st of July, 2013
Diagnosed: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Auditory-Verbal Processing Speed Disorder, and Visual-Motor Processing Speed Disorder.

Weak Emerging Social Communicator (The Social Thinking-­Social Communication Profile by Michelle Garcia Winner, Pamela Crooke and Stephanie Madrigal)

"I am silently correcting your grammar."

I pace a lot. In my home, I have a set pattern on the tiles I walk, back and forth, especially if I'm on the phone. When I step outside to smoke, I sway a lot and sometimes make circular motions in that swaying. No room to pace in that small space unless I go up into the street area (rent a basement) and I won't do that because I don't want to be seen.

When I teach, I have to pace too. Sometimes I can give the lecture/instructions without ever looking at the screen and go through the steps they need to do a process. That's when I'm pacing in class.